Draft rigging



March 21, 1933. D. s. BARROws DRAFT RIGGING Filed Sept. 13, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 2l, 1933.- D. s. BARRws DRAFT RIGGING Filed sept. 1s. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 21, 1933 ,Unirse sr.1 .'rr.s

PATENT oFI-flcr.

DONALD s. BARRows, or nocHEsTEaNEW Yoan, 'A ssrsNon `'ro '.rzany sYivriNs'roN con# PANY, or NEW Yonx, N. Y., A CORPORATION or MARYLAND DRAFT RIGGING Application filed September 13, 1928. Seria1 No. 305,817.

This invention relates to draft rigging and more particularly to springand friction draft gears adapted for use on railway cars.

' The principal object of my invention, generally considered, isthe adaptation of such cushioning mechanism as Cardwell riction draft gears which are ordinarily used with vertical yokes and one key for use with a second key and associated front follower.

Another object of my inventionis vto provide a 1combined front follower andndraft gear housing which is adapted for'use'with Cardwell and other similar types of draft gears.

A further .object of my invention is to provide railway draft rigging involving a vertical hooded yoke7 the hooded portion of which embraces the front end of the associated draft gear or cushioning mechanism which is preferably formed as a combined `front follower and housing.

A -still further object of my invention is the provision of a combined front follower and housing casting, the side walls of the -rearmost portion -of which are spaced to correspond with the distance betweenassociated draft sills,the forward portions of said side walls converging toward one another for reception between the side walls of the hood of an associated yoke.

.Other objects and advantages ofthe invention relating :to the ,particular arrangement :and construction .of the various parts will Vbecome apparentas the description proceeds.

- Referring to the drawings killustrating my invention, :the scope whereof is defined by the appended claims:

Figure 1 is a plan, Vshown partly in 4horiio zontal section, of a portion of the under.-

frame of a car withlassociateddraft :rigging embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is .a vertical longitudinal sectional view ofthe underframe and rigging 115 shown in Figure il), 4-portion'sof thedraftgear ousings and yoke being shownin side elevation. v

Figure Sgis a fragmentary-.view correspondin@ .t0 ligure2, but showing a modification. i

5e teferring' to the drawings in detail, like parts being designated by like reference characters, and irst considering the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, aV portion of an underframe is illus.- trated adapted for use `on cars or vother railway rolling stock, said underframecomprising side sills 1 connected at theirrends by combined striking and sill tie castings 2 and at their intermediateportions by bolster center iii-ler and baokstop lcastings 3. In the present embodiment the combined casting 2 at each end of the gear Vis formed with rearwardly extending flanges or webs l at tached to the draft sill webs and slotted as at v5 to form in effect the forward portions of cheek plates. Said cheek plate portions are preferably continued 'bywcastings v6V attached to the webs of the side sills inl any desired manner, as by rivets 7, said castings completing the slotted portions V5 by having forwardly open-ing slots 8 therein and also preferably provided with rear or second slots y9. `As is usual, the top flanges vof the sills 1 are desirably connected by a cover plate 10. v

Received between the sills 1 is draft rigging involving a coupler 11, :the shank of which is illustrated' with `a `swivel block 12 pivotally connected thereto as by means of la pivot pin 13 so that horizontal angling between theV butt and stem is permitted. Said coupler is connected with a vertical yoke 14, for simultaneous, although not necessarily coextensive longitudinal move1nent,by means of a horizontal key 15 which extends through corresponding slots in the shank of the coupler and the side walls 16 of the hooded frontend 1,7 ,of said yoke. The ,endsof said draft key are extended and received lin the slots 5 and 7.,of the striking casting tand cheek plates as illustrated.

Received between the arms of the yoke 14 and normally engaging the butt or swivel block 12 of the coupler 111 is draf-t gear or cushioning mechanism 18. Said mechanism in :the present embodiment is illustrated as Cardwell friction ldraft gear but it will be understood that I do not wish gto be limited :to this showing. Said gearinvolves ,a forward housingor casing 19 and a rear housing wardly of the web or wall 22 and preferably` joined by a transverse web or wall 23. The rear housing is preferably similarly formed and its second or rearmost transverse wall or web 24 in the present embodiment forms the rear wall thereof and .is normally engaged by the yoke 141- and the sides thereof are en gaged by the stop portions 25 on the backstop casting 3, said stops being preferably spaced to receive the rear end of the yoke 14 therebetween.

The front housing 19 is, in the present embodiment, formedfas a combined front follower and housing and for that purpose the side walls thereof at and forwardly of the intermediate web 23 are caused to converge toward one another from a distance corresponding with the distance between the sills 1 to a. distance corresponding with the distance between the side walls 16 of the hooded portion 17 of the yoke so that the front end of said housing is normally received between the side walls of said yoke. The side walls of the housing 19 are at their forward Vends joined byy a front wall 26 which is adapted to engage the rear wall of the swivel block 12, as illustrated. The side walls of the front housing 19 are preferably formed with horizontal slots 27 receiving a rear or second key 28 which extends through the slots 9 in the cheek plates and is adapted to connect said housing and associated cushioning mechanism with the cheek plates and sills of the car. Instead of having the intermediate wall 23 entend the full height of the front housing 19 like the wall 2li of the rear housing 20,`said wall may be curved around the key 28, as illustrated particularly in Figure 2 and be joined to the front wall 26 by a pair of walls 29, the front portion of said wall 23 being preferably oined with the web 22 by the horizontal rigidifying wall 30 which preferably lies on the line of draft of the gear or midway between the upper and lower walls of the housing thereof.

Inasmuch as a Cardwell friction draft gear is illustrated in the present embodiment, the sides of the housings or casings 19 and 2() between the transverse webs 22 thereof are slotted or notched, as indicated at 81, for permitting the passage of the transverse rods 82 upon which are applied the resilient means 33 which cause the friction elements of the gear toalways remain' inengagement. The rear housing 2O of the gear is, in the present embodiment, illustrated as ,supported by the lower arm of the yoke 14,

neoaeee which is in turn supported by a tie or carrier The front end of the yoke, as will be under-v stood, is supported by the front key 15, and the front casing or housing 19 is supported by said yoke andthe second key 2S is also adapted to support said housing 19 yor the front end thereof if necessary.

Referring now to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figure 3, a constructionis there disclosed identical with the first embodiment, except that the front follower portion 86 is formed separate from the associated cushioningv mechanism 18a which is onlydiagrammatically illustrated, that is, a front follower which may correspond with a front follower suchV as is normally used with Farlow draft rigging, may be inserted between the rear end of the coupler shank 11a or swivel. block l2a thereon and the front face of the foremost housing or casing ofthe cushioning mechanism 18a rather than having said casing extended and formed as an'integral follower portion as in the first embodiment. Exceptas specifically described, the present embodiment may correspond with that of the first embodiment.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have devised draft rigging for railway cars in which the front housinr of associated friction draft gear is either modified to actas a front follower with. an associated second key or is adapted to engage a standard front follower for the transmission of forces between an associated coupler and such gear. When the draft gear front housing is inodiiied to also act as a frontl follower, the side walls thereof are preferably formed to converge toward one another so that the front end of the combined casting is adapted to iit between the side walls of the hooded end of an associated yoke, the rearmost parts of the side walls of said casting being desirably spaced to correspond with the spacing between the associated draft sills. The housings or casings are preferably so formed that the distance between adjacent portions thereof when the gear is released corresponds with the gear travel so that when compressed the housings or walls thereof engage and enclose the friction elements.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In railwayV draft rigging, in combination, a coupler with a' rearwardly extending stem, a vertical yoke with side walls connectingthe forward portions thereof andnormally lying on either side ofsaid stem, means connecting` said coupler and yoke for simultaneous rearward movement, cushioning mechanism embraced by said yoke and with a forward portion normally received between the side walls of said lyoke and engaging the f rear end of said stem, and means passing through said mechanism for connecting it to associated draft sills.

2. In railway draft rigging, in combination with draft sills, a coupler with a stem, a hooded vertical yoke, a draft key connecting said coupler and yoke for simultaneous rearwa-rd movement, cushioning mechanism embraced by said yoke and provided with'a forward portion engaging the stem of said coupler between the side walls of the hooded portion of said yoke, said mechanism comprising housings enclosing friction elements, and a draft key connecting the foremost housing to said sills.

3. In railway draft rigging, in combination, a coupler with a stem, a hooded vertical yoke normally receiving said stem in the hooded portion thereof, a draft key connecting said coupler and yoke for simultaneous rearward movement, cushioning mechanism embraced by said yoke and involving a forward member acting as a front follower, said forward member normally engaging the stem of said coupler in the hooded portion of said yoke, and slotted for receiving a second draft In railway draft rigging, in combination with draft sills, a coupler with a stem,

a yoke having a hooded forward end, a draft key connecting said coupler and yoke for simultaneous rearward movement, cushioning mechanism embraced by said yoke and comprising a pair of casings with pockets opening toward each other for receiving friction elements, the sides of said casings being spaced so as to normally lie close to said sills for guiding purposes, the forward end of the forward casing being decreased in width and normally received in the hooded portionl of said yoke in engagement with the stem of said coupler.

5. In railway draft rigging, in combination with sills, a coupler with a rearwardly extending stem, a yoke with a hooded forward portion normally receiving said stem, a draft key connecting said coupler and yoke for simultaneous rearward movement, cushioning mechanism embraced by said yoke and 50 comprising a housing portion the forward end of which is normally received in the hooded portion of said yoke in engagement with said coupler stem and the rearward portion of which is of greater width so as to lie close to the associated sills for guiding purposes.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

DONALD S. BARROWS. 

